Four Charles Sturt University, Wagga students are in India sharing their skills and knowledge and assisting Indian rice growers to farm more sustainably.
Syngenta has launched its first Connections program aimed at helping rice growers in North India farm more sustainably by providing skills and tools to use water more efficiently.
The project will simultaneously enhance the knowledge and skills of selected Australian agricultural university students, who will work with Syngenta to implement training and demonstrations for these
farmers.
The students will demonstrate to Indian growers how to use a panipipe in combination with an alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technique, developed by the International Rice Research Institute.
Twelve students in total will take part in this program, four from Wagga and the remainder from Melbourne. A number of the participants are also off rice farms.
These students, who will be partially self-sponsored, will spend about 10 Days in India training local growers during their mid semester break, which started on July 3.
The program, the first of its kind in Asia, seeks to link organisations, institutions and growers to increase access to technology for growers, improve the sustainability of agriculture practices and enhance knowledge for other key industry stakeholders. By encouraging the exchange of innovative solutions, Syngenta contributes to helping the region grow more with less and meet its food security challenges.
CSU Wagga student Hollie Ballieu said she has a strong connection with India, with her mother growing up in the country.
Hollie described the opportunity of being able to work with Indian farmers as "amazing", stressing the difference in cultures and farming techniques.
She said it is an honour to be selected as part of the first group to participate in the connections program.
Hollie said that they were looking forward to the exchange of knowledge with the rice farmers.
The students will also be teamed with 10 local students from Punjab University.
Hollie hopes that these links and relationships will extend beyond the trip.
The students will demonstrate to Indian rice growers how to use the panipipe.
A panipipe and an AWD enables growers to determine when it is necessary to irrigate, and consequently reduce their overall level of water use while improving their farming efficiency and sustainability.
"This is a mutually beneficial platform where the farmers learn sustainable farming techniques and the students have an opportunity to experience a different farming system," said Andrew McConville, Head of Corporate Affairs, Syngenta Asia Pacific.
"Through our Connections program, Syngenta aims to identify and develop platforms that support the exchange of skills and knowledge between different groups within agriculture."
At present Hollie said the Indian farmers have no way of knowing how much water they are putting on and how much is actually being taken up by the plant.
The panipipe, simply a PVC pipe, is Hollie said simple and cost effective.
The selected Australian students, who had to apply to participate in the program, have a real interest in agriculture development and humanitarian issues and will be joined by 10 local students from Punjab University.
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